Show Time
by Mockingjay500
Summary: When three girls are cast in their drama school's production of Curse of the Black Pearl, they couldn't be more excited. But then just before opening night, something happens which leads them onto an adventure they will never forget!
1. Chapter 1

**Just a short little chapter to introduce characters and such. Not sure when the next chapter will be up but hopefully soon :) Please read and review :)**

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><p>"I can't believe tonight's opening night!" 17 year old Ella Smith grinned as she walked around backstage with her best friends; 17 year old Sarah Brown and 18 year old Laurel Brooke.<br>"I know! All that hard work and it's finally show time!"  
>"I still can't believe I have to kiss Dan." Laurel grumbled.<br>"Oh lighten up. Anyway, he's not Dan, he's Will Turner!" Ella giggled. Laurel rolled her eyes.

The three girls were major fans of the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series, having watched the movies far more times than anyone else they knew. So when their drama school had announced that this year the performance would be _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl_, the girls had been thrilled and had signed up for auditions straight away. Ella had been cast as the maid in the Swann's household, a small role but one of only a few female roles that got to speak. Sarah had one of the other speaking roles as the pirate woman Anamaria and Laurel had lucked out when she got cast as Elizabeth Swann.

"I wish Ms Henson agreed with my idea for a script change." Laurel continued.  
>"Just because you want to kiss Jack Sparrow." Ella teased.<br>"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow, I think you'll find is his correct name." Laurel laughed.  
>"Sorry, just because you want to kiss <em>Captain<em> Jack Sparrow. Thing is though, you'd really be kissing Trevor." The girls all made a face. Trevor Wright was neither good looking nor charming, but he was a good actor and for some reason that the girls still didn't understand the teachers had cast him as Jack.  
>"Meh, I suppose kissing Dan <em>is <em>better than kissing Trevor. But kissing the _real_ Captain Jack would be the _best_!" Laurel grinned and her friends rolled their eyes before pushing open the door to their allocated dressing room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Another short-ish one, don't worry the third chapter is drafted and is longer this is still just getting into PoTC writing heh more action in the next one!**  
><strong>Thank you to Artemis Sherwood for the lovely review :)<br>Read, enjoy and review please :D **

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><p>"Um… I don't think this is our room…" Sarah looked around in confusion. All three of them were standing on a bridge. They turned around, but the door was gone.<br>"Where are we?" Ella wondered out loud. They all ducked suddenly as they heard gunshots being fired, and then a man ran past.  
>"Was that…" Sarah asked, her eyes widening. Laurel nodded, equally shocked.<br>"Jack Sparrow."  
>"And not Trevor as Jack Sparrow." Ella put in.<br>"Guys? Did I pass out or something?" Sarah frowned.  
>"No, and I honestly don't think we fell asleep either." Ella answered, shaking her head. Then she noticed Laurel running after Jack. "Laurel! Where are you going?" she called, standing up and sprinting after her friend, pulling Sarah along behind her.<br>"If this is the real thing, then we know exactly where we're going to find Jack, don't we?" Laurel called back over her shoulder.  
>"But surely we should be trying to find our way out of here?" Ella finally caught up with Laurel and grabbed her by the arm.<br>"Will is gonna be there too!" Laurel grinned. Ella's eyes widened and all three girls began running through the cobbled streets once more, heading towards the blacksmith's.

It only took them a few minutes to find the building and once they got inside a quick glance around told them that Jack hadn't arrived yet.  
>"Quick, Sarah, change clothes with me!" Laurel said, turning to her friend.<br>"What? Why?"  
>"We're still in our costumes. You have the pirate outfit."<br>"So? I don't really want to wear that big dress of yours." Sarah grumbled.  
>"Fine, but you know Norrington won't look twice at you if he thinks you're a pirate." Laurel sighed.<br>"Oh my gosh you're right!" Sarah gasped. "Quick, then, before Jack and Will get here!"  
>Laurel grinned and slipped out of the dress. All of the girls had chosen to wear leggings and vest tops underneath their costumes, so it was easy enough to change outfits.<p>

Just as they had zipped up the dress Sarah now wore, they heard a noise outside and exchanged grins. "It's Jack! Hide!" Ella whispered, dragging the other two into a corner.  
>"Why?" Sarah asked quietly.<br>"We wait until the opportune moment to let people know we're here!" Laurel grinned as the door opened and the handsome pirate hurried inside. They watched as he checked Mr Brown was asleep and then start to break his chains. Laurel and Ella had to put their hands over Sarah's mouth when Jack took the red hot rod from the furnace and set the donkey off with it. She always hated that part. Finally Jack was free, and the girls all glanced over to the door expectantly, and a few moments later it opened again and Will Turner walked in, heading straight over to the donkey to calm it down. Then he walked over to Mr Brown, still fast asleep in the corner.  
>"Right where I left you." He sighed, removing his coat. Then he turned and frowned as he spotted the hammer Jack had left on the anvil. "Not where I left you." He glanced across and saw Jack's hat and reached out to touch it but before he could Jack had brought the flat side of his sword down on Will's hand.<br>"I love this part!" Ella whispered excitedly.  
>"You're the one they're hunting." Will said, backing away from Jack. "The pirate."<br>Jack frowned. "You seem somewhat familiar, have I threatened you before?"  
>"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates." Will replied, bluntly.<br>"Ah. Well then it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So, if you'll excuse me." Jack turned to get his hat and Ella and Sarah had to hold onto Laurel's arms to stop her rushing out as Will grabbed a sword and pointed it at Jack.  
>"Not yet!" Ella whispered. Laurel sighed, knowing her friend was right.<p>

"Where's the popcorn when you need it?" Sarah grumbled a few moments later as Jack and Will dualled. Her friends laughed quietly.  
>"Yeah, sucks we don't have any." Ella agreed.<br>"I dunno, I think we're about to have a lot more fun!" Laurel nodded over in the direction of the men and they all ran out as Mr Brown smashed the bottle over Jack's head. Laurel ran to Jack's side and crouched down by his unconscious form, but within seconds the doors had burst open and the Royal Navy stormed in. One of the men grabbed Laurel from behind and pulled her away from Jack as the others circled the pirate, their weapons pointing at him. Then Norrington walked in.  
>"Excellent work, Mr Brown. You've assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive." He congratulated the drunk man, and Sarah had to cover Ella's mouth quickly to stop her telling them it was Will who fought Jack. Norrington turned to his men. "Well, I trust you will always remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped. Take him away." He turned to go, when the man holding Laurel called after him.<br>"What about this one, sir?"  
>Norrington turned to look at Laurel for the first time.<br>"Take her away. No doubt an accomplice of his judging by her clothes."  
>Ella and Sarah looked at each other in horror as Laurel was led away to the prison.<br>"Mr Turner, you will escort these ladies home." Norrington ordered, glancing at Ella and Sarah. "They seem to be in shock."


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah expect frequent updates, I'm on summer holidays now so nothing much to do all day = lots of writing time!**

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><p>"Why don't ye come over ere Missy?" One of the pirates in the next cell called over to Laurel, who was sitting as far away as she could from them. The other pirates nodded, all of them grinning hungrily.<br>"Or not." She spat.  
>"Ah c'mon Missy, do us lot a favour!" they persisted. Laurel rolled her eyes, staying exactly where she was. She had figured they would be like that but they were in a different cell. They couldn't get to her.<p>

On the floor in the middle of the cell, Jack was slowly coming round. He heard the men in the next cell and as he blinked his eyes open he noticed the girl sat in a corner of the cell.  
>"Leave 'er alone. And if any part of you comes through those bars into my cell it shall be removed without hesitation." Jack growled.<br>"Oh yer? With what, mate?" one of the men jeered, knowing Jack's effects had been taken away from him. Still, he removed his hands and they all turned away slowly and started calling the dog to them.  
>"Thank you." The girl smiled her appreciation as Jack sat up. He nodded, offering her a slight smile in return.<br>"So, who might you be, love?" He asked her.  
>"Laurel Brooke. My friends and I were in the blacksmiths and when the Royal Navy came in they thought I was your accomplice because of the way I'm dressed."<br>"You're friends dressed differently?"  
>"Yeah, both in dresses." She nodded. "I've always liked the idea of being a pirate."<br>"You still could be, love." Jack grinned, and Laurel returned his grin.

They talked about the sea and Jack's many adventures until the darkness rolled in. Jack moved to the back of the cell, sitting on a ledge and leaning against the wall. The men in the next cell were still calling to the dog.  
>"You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move." Jack sighed eventually, fed up of their constant whistles.<br>"Oh excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet." One of them said, before returning to calling the dog. Jack turned his head to look at them briefly, a smirk crossing his face as he rested his head back against the wall, his hat low.  
>"They have a point, Jack." Laurel started nervously. He opened his eyes.<br>"Who said I've resigned meself to the gallows?" he grinned. "There's no way out of these cells and I'm not gonna waste my efforts trying. When they come to get us in the morning, however…" Laurel was grinning now. She knew that they would not be collected for the gallows in the morning, but she had always wondered why Jack was so chilled about being in the cell. At least he didn't give up that easy.

Meanwhile, Ella and Sarah were still in the blacksmith's with Will. Mr Brown had fallen asleep again not long after Jack and Laurel had been taken away.  
>"I just need to finish up here and they I'll walk you two ladies home." Will said as he hammered the blade of a sword he had just taken out of the furnace.<br>"Thank you, but the thing is… um…" Ella paused, unsure what to say. _We don't live here because we live way in the future and some freaky incident transported us here?_  
>"What's that?" Sarah said, and the others fell silent. Will moved over to the window and opened it, peering out into the dark streets. A black cat ran down a nearby alley.<br>"I can't see anything." He said, turning away from the window and shutting it behind him. Still, all three of them felt a chill run down their spines and only two of them knew what was going to happen next.

Back in the cell, Laurel bit her lip in excitement as she heard the cannon fire.  
>"I know those guns." Jack said as he heard them, too. He stood up on the ledge he had been sitting on. Laurel stood and walked across to join him.<br>"The _Pearl_?" She asked him, although she already knew the answer.  
>"Aye,the<em> Pearl<em>." He breathed as they looked down into the harbour at the black ship, its cannons flashing as they fired at the town.  
>"The <em>Black Pearl<em>?" One of the prisoners asked, coming over to the railings that separated their cell from Jack and Laurel's. The others joined him, abandoning the bone they had been using to try and lure the dog to them. "I've heard stories." He continued. "She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors."  
>"No survivors?" Laurel turned to look at them. "Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" she asked, smirking in what she hoped was a Jack-like fashion. Jack glanced down at her, wondering how she had said exactly what he had been going to say, word for word. The other prisoners didn't reply, simply looking at each other in confusion. Laurel turned back to look out of the window, the cries of the people in the streets muffled by the constant noise of the cannons.<p>

Ella and Sarah looked at each other as they heard the bangs and shouts outside. Will's eyes widened and he grabbed an hatchet from the wall.  
>"Stay here." He ordered them.<br>"No way. We're coming too." Ella told him as both her and Sarah picked up a sword.  
>"It's not safe."<br>"Sorry, mate. You're not having all the fun." Sarah scoffed.  
>"I hardly think 'fun' is the right word to describe it!" Will said bluntly, but he turned and raced out of the door, grabbing a sword on his way. The girls followed and got outside just as Will threw the hatchet into the back of one of the pirates. They ran after him, fighting the pirates whilst making sure they did not stray too far from Will.<br>"This is a bit different from the choreographed fights we have in the play!" Sarah panted as the girls took a quick break in an empty alleyway.  
>"Just a bit!" Ella agreed, spinning round to deflect a sword as one of the pirates noticed them. They knew the men couldn't be killed by stabbing them, but they could at least knock him out as Will had done with the one who he had thrown an hatchet at! Before long, they saw Elizabeth getting led away and ran to Will's side. Their path was blocked by the pirate Will thought he had killed earlier, just as they knew it would be, and then everything went black as all three of them were hit on their heads, falling to the ground.<p>

Laurel's eyes were scanning the streets, trying to find Sarah, Ella or Will amongst the people. It was hopeless, of course, but she couldn't help herself. Suddenly Jack grabbed her and threw them both to the ground just seconds before one of the cannon shots hit the wall of the cell next to them. The other pirates started to climb out of the hole.  
>"My sympathies, friends. You've no manner of luck at all." One of them said, before he, too, disappeared through the hole. Jack moved to the wall, staring out through the tiny hole that had been made in their wall of their own cell. It wasn't even big enough to fit a hand through. Still, Laurel knew that they didn't need to escape through it and it was taking all of her self control not to tell Jack that they would be out soon.<p>

Moonlight shone through the window into the prison as Jack reached out his hand to grab hold of the discarded bone the others had been using to try and get the dog with the keys to come to them.  
>"Come on, doggy." He whistled. "It's just us now. It's you and old Jack and Miss Laurel. Come on. That's a boy! Get your bone!" To his amazement, the dog started walking over. "That's a good boy. A bit closer! That's it, doggy! Come on, you filthy, slimy, mangy character!"<br>Suddenly the doors opened and the dog looked round, whining as he fled down the steps. "No! I didn't mean it!" Jack called after him. Laurel joined him at the door of their cell just as there was a loud bang. They both turned to look as a navy man tumbled down the cells. Two pirates walked down after him and looked around. One was wearing a hat, and the other was dark skinned with dreadlocks.  
>"This ain't the armoury!" The one with a hat said. The dreadlocked one sheathed his sword.<br>"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Twigg." He advanced towards their cell. "Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack stood up, leaning his arms out of the cell.  
>"Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance." The man with a hat jeered. "His fortunes aren't improved much." Then they noticed Laurel standing at his side.<br>"Well, maybe a little." The dreadlocked one said, looking at her just as hungrily as the other pirates had earlier. Laurel looked back at him in disgust and Jack instinctively moved to the side, standing between her and the men.  
>"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen." Jack smirked. "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." The dreadlocked one growled and pushed his arm through the cell, his hand grabbing hold of Jack's throat. Jack looked down at the hand, skeletal where the moonlight touched it. "So there is a curse." He said quietly. "That's interesting."<br>"You know nothing of Hell." The dreadlocked one hissed, before letting go of Jack's neck, shoving him back as he did so. Then he and his hat-wearing companion turned and left.  
>"That's very interesting." Jack murmured, looking at the dog's bone still in his hand. Laurel glanced up at him.<br>"Is that…"  
>"Aye. The Curse of the Aztec Gold." Jack nodded. "Can't say they don't deserve to be cursed though, bloody mutineers."<br>"Ah well, you look better in dreadlocks than he ever will." Laurel grinned, and then realised what she had said as Jack turned to look at her, his eyes bemused as he grinned at her, causing the butterflies in her stomach to flap around frantically.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow this is a long one! Read, review and enjoy :D**

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><p>"Ughhh five more minutes." Sarah groaned as she felt someone shaking her arm. Then someone hit her from her other side. "Ouch!" She sat up and looked to the side where the hit had come from. "Ella!" Only then did she glance around and realise where they were. "It wasn't a dream, then." Ella shook her head, Will was watching them with a rather bemused expression but it quickly vanished as he pulled the girls to their feet.<br>"They've taken Elizabeth." He said, walking quickly over to where the Commodore and Governor were with a few other men. The girls followed, looking around them at the devastation left from the events of the night. Wounded and dead men were being carried around and the town was a mess.

They caught up with Will just as he slammed his hatchet down.  
>"That's not good enough!" he cried.<br>"Bang!" Ella whispered in Sarah's ear.  
>"Why is the rum gone, why is the rum gone?" Sarah whispered back, and both girls had to hold back a laugh. They turned their attention back quickly to the scene in front of them. Norrington had just removed the hatchet from the table.<br>"Mr Turner, you are not a military man, you are not a sailor. You are a blacksmith." He smiled, somewhat patronizingly. "And this is not the moment for rash actions!" He looked Will in the eye, lowering his voice to a murmur. "Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are the only man here who cares for Elizabeth." He went back to his charts and Will walked away, Ella following behind, dragging Sarah who looked back longingly at Norrington.

Jack was using the bone to try and open the lock of the cell when the prison door creaked open. He quickly moved back into the middle of the cell and lay down as if he had not just been trying to escape. Laurel was sitting in a corner, but ran to the front of the cell as Will, Ella and Sarah ran down the steps.  
>"You! Sparrow!" Will spoke abruptly.<br>"Aye?" Jack raised his head.  
>"You are familiar with that ship the <em>Black Pearl<em>?"  
>"I've heard of it."<br>"Where does it make berth?"  
>"Where does it make berth? Have you not heard the stories?" When Will looked at him blankly, Jack lay his head back down and raised his hand slightly, making gestures with it as he spoke. "Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It's an island that cannot be found, except by those who already know where it is." He raised his head again, grinning slightly.<br>"The ship's real enough, therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?"  
>"Why ask him?" Laurel said at last, ignoring the look Jack shot at her, again wondering how the girl took the words right out of his mouth.<br>"Because he's a pirate." Will spoke as if he couldn't believe the girl was asking such a question.  
>"And you want to turn pirate yourself. Is that it?" Jack asked.<br>"Never!" Will protested, fiercely. "They took Miss Swann."  
>"Oh so it <em>is<em> that you found a girl!" Jack grinned, sitting up. "I see. Well if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue, and so win fair lady's heart, you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for us."  
>"I can get you out of here." Will told him.<br>"How's that, the key's run off!" Laurel said, although she already knew the answer.  
>"I helped build these cells. There are half-pin barrel hinges." Will turned and picked up a bench. "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free." Jack looked at him curiously.<br>"What's your name?" he asked.  
>"Will Turner."<br>"That would be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt named for your father, eh?" Jack nodded.  
>"Yes." Will said, somewhat confused.<br>"Uh huh. Well Mr Turner, I've changed me mind." He rose to his feet and walked to the front of the cell where Laurel was standing. "If you spring us from this cell I swear on pain of death, I shall take you to the _Black Pearl_ and your bonny lass." He extended his hand. "Do we have an accord?"  
>Will was still curious as to how Jack seemed to know something about his father, but he decided not to question it yet. This was the best chance he had to get Elizabeth back and he wasn't going to blow it. He looked down at Jack's extended hand and took it in his own, shaking it.<br>"Agreed."  
>"Agreed! Get us out!" Will pushed down on the bench and the cell door lifted free. He dropped it to the ground as Jack and Laurel walked out.<br>"Hurry! Someone will have heard that." Will said quickly.  
>"Not without my effects!" Jack told him, walking over to the hooks where his things had been hung up. Meanwhile, Sarah and Ella had caught Laurel up in a hug.<br>"I'm so glad you're ok!"  
>"Of course I'm ok, it was you guys I was worried about, fighting the pirates on the streets last night!"<br>"I told them to stay in the blacksmiths." Will told Laurel, and she laughed briefly.  
>"And it be my guess they paid no attention to you whatsoever?" Will shrugged, and Laurel laughed again. Then Jack came back with his effects.<br>"Why bother with that? You could have escaped if you killed me before but you weren't willing to use it." Will asked.  
>"Are you advising me that was a mistake?" Jack retorted, pointing the pistol at Will again. "When you've only got one shot, it's best to wait for the opportune moment. That wasn't it. Nor is this." He put the pistol back in his pocket and the small group left the prison.<p>

They ran underneath the bridge that the girls remembered as the one they had appeared on the previous day.  
>"We're going to steal a ship? That ship?" Will asked, looking out at the <em>Dauntless<em>.  
>"Commandeer. Nautical term." Laurel said, not even looking at him. Jack looked at her, once again she had taken the words he was going to say.<br>"Aye, commandeer. We're going to commandeer that ship." Jack pointed at the _Interceptor_, remembering how the babbling fools he met yesterday, by names of Murtogg and Mulroy, had informed him that it was the fastest ship in the Caribbean. If they were to catch up with the _Pearl_, they were going to need a fast ship. He turned to Will. "One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This girl, how far are you willing to go to save her?"  
>"I'd die for her." Will answered.<br>"Oh good. No worries then." Jack turned back to watching the Navy men running around, and when the coast was clear he gestured for Will and the girls to follow him. They all ducked under an upturned longboat and then walked it into the water. They walked along the sea bed, the longboat above their heads creating an air bubble so that they could still breathe and talk.  
>"This is either madness, or brilliance." Will commented.<br>"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide." Jack responded.  
>Sarah, Ella and Laurel looked around as they heard the sound of Will's foot going into the lobster pot. He looked rather embarrassed as he met their eyes and quickly looked away. They managed to avoid laughing, but turned away from him so as to hide the grins on their faces.<p>

Once they reached the _Dauntless, _however, Jack grinned at the lobster pot.  
>"Brilliant." He said, securing the cage to the lower part of the ship before throwing the barrel up and over the railings.<br>"Yeah, yeah that's what I thought." Will said, quickly, not wanting to admit that he hadn't meant to bring the contraption with him.  
>The five of them scaled the rope and climbed onto the deck of the <em>Dauntless<em> where they proceeded to run down the steps to the crew who was on board.  
>"Everyone stay calm! We're taking over the ship." Jack announced. The crew turned to look just as Will unsheathed his sword.<br>"Aye! Avast!" he agreed. The crew laughed whilst Jack and the girls rolled their eyes. Ella pulled Will to one side.  
>"What did Jack <em>just<em> say?" she hissed. He grinned sheepishly.  
>"Stay calm?" Ella nodded and reluctantly let go of his arm.<br>"This ship cannot be crewed by two men and three women. You'll never make it out of the bay." Said the man who the girls recognised as Gillette. Jack merely smirked.  
>"Son… I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." He pulled his pistol out and pointed it at Gillette's head. "Savvy?"<br>Gillette gulped, and his men quickly made their way to one of the longboats. Gillette stayed a moment longer, contemplating whether it was worth the risk to stay here before deciding that it would be better to go with his crew and alert the Commodore.

Once they were alone on the ship, Jack set them all to work raising the sails whilst he disabled the rudder chain. It didn't take long, and eventually he stood up at the helm, his pistol resting on his shoulder and his index finger against his chin. Sarah and Ella had to snap their fingers in front of Laurel's face as she stared dreamily at Jack. Eventually Will ran up to the helm.  
>"Here they come." He informed the Captain, who turned around to look. His trademark smirk appeared on his face, and Laurel sighed appreciatively. The men turned to look at her, Will raising one eyebrow and Jack widening his grin which made Laurel swoon all the more. Then Jack looked back over his shoulder.<br>"On my signal." He ordered, and they all walked quickly to the other end of the ship. As the _Interceptor_ pulled up alongside them, the crew swung over, Norrington shouting orders to search everywhere.  
>"Now!" Jack whispered, grabbing hold of two ropes, one of which he handed to Laurel. Will, Sarah and Ella each grabbed a rope too and all five of them swung across to the <em>Interceptor<em>. Will and the girls quickly cut the ropes which connected the two ships and Jack immediately raced up to the helm to set sail. They heard Norrington call for his crew to get back to the _Interceptor_, but it was too late and those who swung merely fell into the sea.  
>"Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd have had a hard time by ourselves!" Jack called out, waving his hat as he grinned.<p>

"When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died I came out here, looking for my father." Will told the others as he sharpened his sword, casting a glance at Jack as he mentioned his father.  
>"Is that so?" Jack asked, wandering back up to the helm, clearly not interested in the lad's past. Will stopped sharpening his sword and stood up, following Jack up to the helm.<br>"My father, Bill Turner? At the jail it was only after you leaned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father."  
>Jack sighed and stood up from where he was tightening a rope. He turned to face the lad.<br>"I knew him. Probably one of the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill." He stepped past Will to the wheel.  
>"Bootstrap?" Will asked, confused.<br>"Good man. Good pirate. I swear, you look just like him."  
>"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law." Jack rolled his eyes.<br>"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag."  
>"My father was not a pirate!" Will growled, unsheathing his sword. Jack didn't bother to turn around.<br>"Put it away, son." He said, somewhat gently considering the circumstances. "It's not worth you getting beat again."  
>"You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you."<br>"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair then, is it?" Jack turned to face him, before swinging the boom out. Sarah and Laurel held Ella back as Will was left dangling over the sea. Jack picked up the sword Will had dropped.  
>"Now as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do…"<br>"And what a man can't do." Laurel chipped in. Jack turned to look at her, nodding.  
>"Aye. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man, or you can't. Pirate is in your blood boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. And me, for example, I can let you drown, but me and the girls can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by ourselves, savvy? So." He swung the boom. Will landed on the deck with a thud and this time Ella ran to him before her friends could hold her back, kneeling down beside him. Jack held out Will's sword, the blade pointing at him. "Can you sail under the command of a pirate?" He flipped the sword round so that the handle was now at Will's end. "Or can you not?" Will hesitantly reached up and took the handle.<br>"Tortuga?" he asked.  
>"Tortuga." Jack grinned.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

"Laurel you have _got_ to stop stealing Jack's lines!" Ella hissed. The girls were at the opposite end of the ship to Jack and Will, but nonetheless they were talking quietly. Ella and Sarah had taken off their costume dresses so they were now in the leggings and vest tops they had worn underneath them, far more practical attire for pirate girls.  
>"Why?"<br>"Because he's gonna get suspicious!" Laurel rolled her eyes.  
>"Oh yeah, and I really think he's gonna believe that we've seen him do this adventure more than 100 times before."<br>"She has a point." Sarah put in. Ella looked between them and sighed.  
>"Fine, have it your way."<br>"So, come on El, spill the beans. How are you gonna get Will from Elizabeth?" Laurel grinned.  
>"Dunno. But I will get him, you mark my words!" The girls all laughed.<br>"It's all right for you two, how am I gonna get Norrington?"  
>"Get him to notice you when we're on the <em>Dauntless<em>, then when he finds out Elizabeth likes Will he will seek comfort in the arms of the mysterious stranger. That's you!" Ella smirked. "Of course, Will won't like Elizabeth by that time so she'll be left all alone."  
>"Shame." Laurel said, her voice dripping with sarcasm which sent all of them into a laughing fit again. Will and Jack looked over, bemused, as the laughter carried over to them. The girls continued to discuss their plans to get their men until eventually Will called out.<br>"Land ho!" They all rushed to the side and looked over. Sure enough, they were coming in to Tortuga, the lights of the town shining brightly as dusk settled.

The girls stayed between Jack and Will in the town, not wanting to get in the way of the pushing, shoving or pistols. Laurel was next to Jack, Sarah on her other side and Ella between Sarah and Will.  
>"It is a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga. Savvy?" Jack said as they walked. "What do you think?"<br>"It'll linger." Ella said, unable to resist stealing Will's line as she wrinkled up her nose in disgust.  
>"I'll tell you, mate, if every town were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." Jack grinned, then turned to see a red haired woman in a red dress approaching him, scowling. "Scarlett!" he hurried forwards, only to be greeted with a sharp slap. The woman stormed away.<br>"Not sure I deserved that." Jack frowned at Will and the girls. Just as he turned back around, a pouty blonde woman in a yellow dress appeared in front of him. "Giselle!"  
>"Who was she?" the woman asked, although given her tone of voice she already knew. "And who are they?" she said, noticing Laurel, Sarah and Ella standing next to Will, just behind Jack.<br>"What?" Jack asked, acting as if he knew nothing. The words were barely out of his mouth when the blonde delivered Jack's second slap of the evening and walked off. "I may have deserved that." Jack admitted. The girls and Will all raised their eyebrows, bemused. Jack shrugged and straightened up. "This way." He said, leading them to a pig pen nearby.

As they entered, Jack picked up a bucket of water and proceeded to throw it over a man, who the girls knew to be Mr Gibbs, sleeping in the mud with the pigs.  
>"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" Gibbs growled as he sat up, a small dagger pointed at the people who dared wake him. Jack just looked at him, a smirk appearing on his face. "Mother's love! Jack!" He pocketed the dagger. "You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleepin'. It's bad luck."<br>"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it whilst listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Jack said, walking over and crouching down by his sleeping friend.  
>"Aye, that'll about do it." Gibbs grinned. Jack grinned back, and took Gibbs' hand to help him to his feet. Just as Jack backed away, Will threw another bucket of water over Gibbs. "Blast! I'm already awake!" Gibbs fumed.<br>"That was for the smell." Will said. Gibbs looked as if he was about to say more, but then shrugged, realising that he actually did smell pretty bad.

As the group walked to the tavern, the girl laughed over the irony of the name.  
>"The <em>Faithful Bride<em>?" Laurel raised an eyebrow.  
>Inside the tavern, Jack politely asked the girls if they would like anything to drink.<br>"Nothing for me, thanks." Sarah declined, and Ella shook her head.  
>"Rum for me, please." Laurel grinned, and Jack nodded before going to get the drinks.<br>"Rum?" Ella asked her friend incredulously. Laurel shrugged.  
>"A pirate's life for me." She said.<p>

The girls were standing by the pillar with Will as Jack came back. Gibbs was already sitting down with his drink.  
>"Keep a sharp eye." Jack muttered to Will, Sarah and Ella. Then he handed Laurel her drink and took her free hand, leading her over to the table where he sat down with Gibbs.<br>"Now, what's the nature of this venture of your'n?" Gibbs asked.  
>"I'm going after the <em>Black Pearl<em>." Gibbs, who was just taking a sip of his drink, choked. "I know where it's gonna be, and I'm gonna take it." Jack said, ignoring his spluttering friend who was now shaking his head.  
>"Jack, it's a fool's errand. You know better than me the tales of the <em>Black Pearl<em>."  
>"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew."<br>"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one."  
>"Well then I'd say it's a very good thing he's not a fool, then, eh?" Laurel grinned.<br>"Prove me wrong. What makes you think Barbossa will give up his ship to him?" Gibbs asked the brown haired girl.  
>"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" Jack answered for her, and proceeded to nod his head in the direction of Will.<br>"The girls?" Gibbs asked, eyes wide.  
>"No, the boy." Jack grinned.<br>"The kid?" Gibbs asked, and Jack nodded.  
>"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child. Savvy?"<br>"Is he now?" Gibbs turned to look at Will again, who was being harassed by some rather large, drunken lady. The girls were trying to get her to leave him alone, but eventually an old bearded man came to take her away. "Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."  
>"One can only hope." Jack grinned, picking up his drink.<br>"Give nothin' back!" Laurel grinned.  
>"Aye!" Gibbs agreed, and the three of them knocked their mugs together, downed the last of their drinks and slammed them to the table.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Enjoy, please review :)**

* * *

><p>"Feast your eyes, Captain." Gibbs announced the next morning. The girls, Will, Jack and Gibbs were on the deck in Tortuga, Gibbs' promised crew lined up. "All of them, faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt, and crazy to boot."<br>"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Will asked, looking down the line. Jack stopped in front of a man who had a blue and yellow parrot perched on his shoulder. The girls already knew him as Cotton.  
>"You, sailor!" Jack barked.<br>"Cotton, sir." Gibbs informed him.  
>"Mr Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"<br>"I never know how he can say all that so fast!" Ella whispered to her friends.  
>"Because he's Captain Jack Sparrow!" Laurel whispered back, and the three girls had to stifle their giggles.<br>"Mr Cotton. Answer, man!" Jack growled when the man did not respond.  
>"He's a mute, sir." Gibbs told him. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him."<br>"How?" Sarah asked.  
>"No one's yet figured how." Gibbs shrugged. Jack took one step along so that he was in front of the parrot.<br>"Mr Cotton's parrot, same question."  
>"Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!" the bird squawked.<br>"Mostly, we figure that means 'yes'." Gibbs said, seeing the confused looks on Jack and Will's faces. Jack nodded.  
>"Of course it does." He turned to Will. "Satisfied?" Will looked up and down the line.<br>"Well, you've proved they're mad." He said, quietly. Jack, too, looked up and down the line of potential crew members.  
>"And what's the benefit for us?" a voice called. The small group walked down to where the voice had come from; a person with their hat low over their eyes, hiding their face.<br>"Anamaria." Jack grinned, removing the hat. The girls bit their lips to stop themselves from laughing as Anamaria's hand reached out and slapped Jack.  
>"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either." Will said, more a statement than a question.<br>"No, that one I deserved." Jack admitted. Behind him, Anamaria nodded, smirking.  
>"You stole my boat!" she yelled as Jack turned back to face her.<br>"Actually…" she cut him off with a slap. "Borrowed. Borrowed without permission, but with every intention of bringing it back to you."  
>"But you didn't!" the woman ranted.<br>"You'll get another one." Jack smiled, trying to diffuse the situation.  
>"I will." She pointed her finger at him, glaring.<br>"A better one." Ella told her, eager to join in the conversation.  
>"A better one!" Jack agreed.<br>"That one." Will said, pointing out at the _Interceptor_.  
>"What one?" Jack asked, turning to look at Will who nodded in the direction of the ship. Jack looked around, immediately snapping his head back to look at Will. "That one?" he growled. Will nodded, pointedly. Jack considered for a moment, and then turned to Anamaria. "Aye. That one." He grinned, pointing at the <em>Interceptor<em>. "What say you?"  
>"Aye!" the woman agreed.<br>"Aye!" the crew chorused. They all turned and left to go and board the boat.  
>"Anchor's aweigh!" the parrot squawked. Anamaria glared at Jack as she stalked off.<br>"No no no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir."  
>"Excuse me?" Laurel raised an eyebrow. Gibbs looked at her and bit his lip.<br>"What I mean was it's frightful bad luck to have so many women aboard, sir." He glanced at Laurel, who was still frowning, not entirely happy with the correction.  
>"It would be far worse not to have her." Jack said, glancing at the sky as he followed the crew to the ship. Gibbs was still looking sheepishly at Laurel who had her hands on her hips. He coughed.<br>"Shall we?" he said, hastily turning to follow Jack to the _Interceptor_.

"This is even worse when you're living it!" Sarah shouted to her friends over the noise of the storm.  
>"Yeah, the film really doesn't do it justice!" Ella agreed, ducking to avoid little Marty who was hanging from a rope. Just as she ducked, however, a great wall of water crashed over the ship and knocked everyone to their feet.<br>"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find, with a compass that doesn't work?" Will yelled out to Gibbs as the pair got to their feet and resumed wrestling with a rope.  
>"Aye the compass doesn't point north…" Gibbs started.<br>"But we're not trying to find north, are we?" Laurel cut in, and Gibbs nodded and then left to go up to the helm to talk to Jack. The girls could only just hear Jack informing his first mate that they were catching up to the _Black Pearl_. But first, they had to get through this storm. The girls knew that they would, but it was hard to believe it as the ship was thrown about by the waves.  
>"I vote for sneaking down below deck until it passes!" Sarah said.<br>"No way! If we get caught we'll be deemed unreliable and then there's no way we'll be allowed to go to Isla de Muerta with Jack and Will!" Laurel shook her head, but just then Gibbs came back down from the helm.  
>"Cap'n wants a word with you ladies." He said, before rushing to help another crew member. The girls nodded as he turned and struggled to make it to the steps, and then struggled even more to climb them.<br>"Gibbs said you wanted a word?" Laurel was the first to reach the Captain.  
>"Aye. You three best go down below deck." Jack said, and Sarah gave the others an 'I told you so' look.<br>"No. We're more use up here, surely." Laurel protested.  
>"Aye, but it's not safe for a few lasses with no experience."<br>"We're quick learners."  
>"That may be so, but this ain't exactly the time to be teaching ye is it?"<br>"But…"  
>"No buts. Captain's orders. Below deck, now. All of you!"<p>

Ella and Sarah took hold of one of Laurel's arms each and marched her down below deck where they all sat clear of the steps so as not to get wet as the waves continued to crash over the ship.  
>"I can't believe we're stuck down here when we could be up there helping!"<br>"Oh Laurel put a sock in it would you?" Ella sighed.  
>"No! This is an insult…"<br>"He said it's for us to be safe." Sarah interrupted.  
>"Yeah but…"<br>"Take it up with him when the storm clears, Laurel." Ella rolled her eyes and her friend finally stopped her rant.  
>"So, how are we going to get him to take us with him and Will tomorrow?" Sarah finally broke the silence.<br>"Just tell him we want to go too?" Ella suggested.  
>"That won't work. We have to be of some use to him." Laurel shook her head.<br>"Hmm yeah." Ella frowned. "What use will we be?"  
>"Well, we're small… and… um…" Sarah trailed off, unsure what else they would be able to do to help.<br>"We'll figure it out in the morning." Laurel said decisively when no one was able to come up with anything else. Her friends nodded and they continued to talk about less important issues, such as the mishaps that had happened when they were rehearsing their play.


End file.
